I recently met with a young woman who came to me for an intuitive reading. As she sat down she gave me an overview of why she had made the appointment. The first thing I noticed was that she spoke about her hopes and dreams in the past tense. She had hoped to be married by now, but had determined she “wasn’t good at relationships” and had given up. She also spoke about a brief stint at being an actress. She loved it. However, she’d gone to a few auditions after that and had been rejected for the parts. She decided that she wasn’t good enough and gave up that dream.

Have you ever had a yearning for something, taken some courageous steps towards achieving it, and seemingly failed in your efforts? Would you believe that most of us have had that experience at least once in our lives? Often it takes more than a little patience. It takes picking yourself back up and trying again.

Jay Leno applied for work at Woolworth’s but failed the employment test.

Marilyn Monroe was fired by Twentieth Century-Fox because production chief Darryl Zanuck considered her unattractive.

Thomas Edison was fired from his job working in a telegraph office after one of his chemical experiments exploded.

Walt Disney’s first cartoon production company went bankrupt. • Jerry Seinfeld sold light bulbs over the telephone.

Madonna peddled doughnuts at a Times Square shop.

John F. Kennedy lost the election for president of his freshman class at Harvard.

John Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected by sixteen agents and a dozen publishing houses.

Think about your dreams right now. Is there something you’re not going for because you’re scared you won’t succeed? Most of your battle is right between your ears. Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt famously noted in a speech, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” I want you to not give in to your fear.

Too many people quit just a step away from achieving success. Here are some ideas I shared with my client to help her get back on track.

Focus on the goal. When you think of an ideal day, week, month or year, what are you doing with your life?

Develop a plan. What are the small steps you can begin to take that will lead you in the direction you want to go? “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Take that first step, and then take another.

If you get off track, be willing to change. What are you doing that’s on the mark? If one way doesn’t work for you, be ready to go another. Many times, the road to success is found by taking a detour.

Cultivate the attitude of a wish fulfilled. Success is waiting for you — feel it, see it, vividly imagine it, sense it, and grasp it.

Don’t dwell on the old. Put your mental energy and action into focusing on where you want to go.

Trust your inner wisdom. When you have a setback, close your eyes, put your hand on your heart, take a deep breath and ask, “What’s my right next step?” Trust the answer you receive. It may come as an image, a feeling, or a knowing. Listen to that and take action. It will always be there to guide you.

Look ahead, rather than back. Ask yourself, “How will I view this circumstance six months or a year from now?” Put your focus on what you can change rather than dwelling on an apparent failure.